7/22/10 (bangkok)

Bangkok

It was good to be back in Bangkok and felt as if we had been away for a long time. Nun was very thoughtful in getting us some breakfast at the local market. Nun offered Jon some soup for breakfast and when I saw what Nun was pouring into a bowl I thought, “Oh no! Jon is definitely not going to like what is in that soup.” I quickly told Nun that I would have the soup and Jon will just have some muesli for breakfast. I didn’t want to scare Jon with what was in the soup. Let’s just say the Thais, like many other Asians, don’t like to let any animal part go to waste.

After breakfast Jon set up his camera to film a video of Chef McDang for our blog. We thought it would be a good way to promote his book and have him share a bit about Thai culture. While Jon was setting up, Pai and Hector came over to the house. Needless to say, Chef McDang didn’t need much prompting as he is a veteran in front of the camera and gave us so much content that Jon had to use multiple memory cards. Now Jon has another video project to add to the queue.

We were hoping to take Chef McDang out for lunch as a belated birthday present but he had way too much to do before leaving for the states. So instead he ordered lunch and had a table full of Thai dishes. We all sat around the kitchen enjoying the feast. Over lunch, Pai gave us a list of things to check out while in Chang Mai since that is where he grew up. He also offered for us to stay with his parents, which was really thoughtful and unexpected. His parents own a very successful restaurant in Chang Mai. I guess food is in their DNA.

It was time for us to leave the compound for good. We packed up our stuff and as we were heading out we got the opportunity to meet Chef McDang’s father. We heard a lot about him as he is very well known in Thailand. He has his own weekly radio show where he gives his commentary on current events in Thailand. He used to critique restaurants and so his guide is displayed at certain restaurants all over the country. We only had a brief moment to say farewell to Chef McDang since he was in the middle of a meeting. We can’t thank him enough for his kindness and generosity. He opened his home and heart to us and allowed us to get a glimpse of his life. It is always an adventure with him and you just never know what is going to happen.

Chef McDang’s driver dropped us off at Paul’s apartment in downtown Bangkok. And wow! We heard his place was pretty spectacular and it was. It is located on the 17^th floor and has an amazing view of the downtown skyline. It is modern with contemporary furnishings. We were also thrilled to have a kitchen so we can cook meals at home instead of eating out everyday. We quickly dropped off our stuff and were headed out the door to The Emporium, a shopping center with a movie theater. Jon had been itching to see the movie, Inception, but it wasn’t showing in Cambodia so we had to wait till we got to Bangkok. Luckily it was playing in half an hour so we bought tickets and popcorn. Thais take their movie theaters very seriously. The staff was very nicely dressed and the doors to the theater were very plush. There was someone to greet you at the entrance of the theater at the beginning and end of the movie. Hard to pull off a double header with so many staff around, not that we were thinking of doing such a thing.

After the movie we grabbed dinner at the food court to digest what we thought about the movie. I’ll leave it up to Jon to give his take on it but in short we both liked it though it left us with some unanswered questions. It is the kind of movie that you have to watch again to make sure you really got everything.

With our mind and bellies full we headed back to the apartment to continue our addiction of Dexter. Just a few more episodes till we are done.